1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an ice machine pump rebuild kit and more specifically a kit to enable the pump impeller on an ice machine pump to be replaced when the motor which drives the ice machine pump is replaced with the kit including a plurality of impellers having different structural characteristics including a shank with a V-shaped slot therein to enable the shank, which is constructed of plastic material, to expand to receive the end of the motor shaft and frictionally grip and securely attach the impeller to the shaft without the use of fastening screws or other mechanical fastening devices. The kit enables a standard motor to replace a plurality of different types of motors now used on commercially available ice machine pumps thereby enabling a repairman to replace a failed motor from a substantially smaller inventory of components.
1. Description of the Prior Art
Ice making machines are now provided in many establishments for providing a supply of ice cubes and the like. Such machines employ a small water circulating pump for use in providing ice cubes or the like which are clear due to circulation of water in a well known manner. The ice machine pumps are driven by an electric motor and numerous different ice machine pumps are used by the various manufacturers of the ice machines. When a repairman is called to replace the electric motor which is the usual failure point, the repairman finds that the particular motor that is needed is not available on the repair truck since the space and investment required to stock so many components is prohibitive. The ice machine pumps include an impeller fastened to the motor shaft by various structural arrangements such as an axial, internally threaded socket in the end of the shaft with a screw and spring securing the impeller onto the shaft with the screw being threaded into the threaded socket. The various pumps commercially available have variations in the diameter and length of the shank of the impeller and the motor shaft also varies in length so that the impellers will properly fit in the pump housing. Thus, in order to replace the motor, it is necessary to replace it with a motor having the exact same dimensional characteristics as the original motor which requires a large inventory of motors to be available.